Dozo @ Vallley Point SC

Dozo is a restaurant that's been around for quite a long time. I remember I had my first experience here 2 or 3 years back. That it's still around amidst an every changing landscape and plethora of competition, I think, is testament to the restaurant's standard.

Address : 491 River Valley Road, #02-02/03 Valley Point Shopping Centre (Tel: 68386966)

Official Website : http://www.dozo.com.sg/index.html

My companion and I visited the restaurant on a weekday recently. Valley Point SC is very unremarkable, so from the outside, Dozo looks like just any other Japanese Restaurant. The interior though, is decidedly western.

 

 

The restaurant occupies 2 shop spaces, and its big, looks sophisticated with ample seating and private rooms. If you've ever been to Michelin-star restaurants anywhere, Dozo certainly wouldn't look out of place. Interior design wise, at least.

 

 

While allowing us time to browse through the set menu, a little snack was placed at the table. Instead of your usual rolls of bread, they offered long Pocky-like noodle biscuits. Honestly, if they hadn't told me that was for eating, I might have thought it was purely decorative.

 

 

 So they basically have the same menu for lunch and dinner, and all you have to do is select one course from each category. The difference between lunch and dinner that certain items are only available in the evenings and lunch is a 6-course affair as opposed to 7-courses at dinner. That and the slight difference in price.

 

 

 

Before our meal commenced, they served us a very light peach/ plum sherbet beverage, meant to help revv up your appetite...it was quite delicious though I don't really like peach that much. 

 

 

 

Then came the starter. We were advised to have the Scallops with asparagus foam first(centre) followed by the Foie Gras on bread(right) and lastly smoked salmon with whipped cream. My favourite was the foie gras, which was really decadent. Didn't fancy the little raisin it came with though!

 

 

Then we come to our cold dish...I had the Bluefin Tuna Tartar with Avocado.

 

 

The tuna was good, nice clean fresh taste, and the slightly sweet and salty sauce went well with the whole dish. My only gripe is that they were a little stingy with the avocado.

 

My companion went for the more traditional Japanese option...assorted sashimi. It was of a reasonable standard considering the price we were paying.

 

 

Next was the side dish...once I saw the menu, being the goose liver junkie that I am, I knew I was having the foie gras chawanmushi.

 

 

It didn't disappoint. The chawanmushi was excellent. Soft and creamy with a hint of foie gras. Not too much to overpower the dish, but not so little that you can't detect the fragrance. Sumptuous.

  

 

My companion went for the tempura soft shell crab on the truffle mash. The tempura wasn't great, but for me the star of the dish was the truffle mash, though the mash could have been finer. Texture wise, it was a tad too chunky but you could definitely taste the truffle. Another excellent combination.

 

For soup, I had the Bacon infused pumpkin Veloute. I think anything infused with bacon, surely cant go wrong. And with this interpretation of pumpkin soup I was proven right. The pumpkin soup was exceptional! Perfect combination, though I think people who cant get their head round the fact that the soup tastes a bit like bacon, probably wouldn't enjoy this.

 

My companion ordered the safer Mushroom soup with truffles. The waiter advised us to chew on the truffle first before having the soup to enhance it's flavour. The soup was spectacular.

 

 

The taste of the mushrooms, coupled with the creaminess of the soup and the fragrance of the truffles was splendid. Honestly, if you don't know what to choose, just pick this option. I really can't see how anyone can possibly not enjoy this.

 

 

 With our stomachs already 80% filled to the brim, we came to the main course. I had the beef tenderloin on the hot granite stone whilst my companion had the pork cheek.

 

 

 

 

Honestly, I was a little let down by this dish. Perhaps it was the expectation I had built up for this dish after reading online reviews of the restaurant. But I felt the beef wasn't fantastic. It was alright, but really nothing special.

 

 

The pork cheek was quite tasty, but personally, I feel that the sauces they served with the pork killed the dish. The meat itself was soft and flavourful, but I actually had to scrape away most of the condiments before I ate it. The sauce was a little bit overpowering.

 

Finally we come to the dessert and drink. We ordered the same combination - Iced Rose Lemon Tea and Japanese Cheesecake.

 

 

 

The drink was light and refreshing, especially after such a heavy meal. Whilst the cheese cake was quite normal. Certainly not unlike those you can buy outside from breadtalk or four season's bakery.

 

Conclusion:

 

For $70/pax (inc GST) I would say it makes for a really good and satisfactory dinner. Though perhaps the quality of the food on show isn't exactly premium, but all in all, with the excellent service and ambience that the restaurant exudes, I would give the place a 7/10. 

 

Modern Japanese cuisine takes many forms. At Dozo, the restaurant takes pains to incorporate European influences into their fare. Dining there, you will see European favourites like truffle and foie gras (ingredients which are very un-Japanese!) complementing very Japanese dishes like chawanmushi. So at the very least, dining here makes for some interesting eating.

 

Definitely a decent place to dine.

Akashi @ Orchard Parade Hotel, Singapore

One of the places I often frequent is Akashi over at Orchard Parade Hotel. It ain't cheap but I know I can count on the food to be good. The restaurant itself isn't that conspicuous, its right at the back end of Singapore's famous shopping belt, but despite that, during lunch and dinner time, more often than not, its packed with regular customers. So if you're making a trip down, please try to make a reservation!

Here's the official website : http://www.akashijap.com.sg/akashi/default.htm

They have 3 branches, Orchard Parade Hotel, Paragon Shopping Centre and Vivocity. I can't vouch for the other branches, but the one which I frequent over at Orchard Parade Hotel is really good. A safe bet to bring your family, friends or even business associates for a good meal.

Address : Orchard Parade Hotel, 1 Tanglin Road #01-01A S247905 (67324438)

Operating Hours : Lunch 11.30am - 3pm, Dinner 6pm - 11pm

 

 

Main seating area....

 

 

Sushi bar...

 

 

Whilst deciding what to order, we had a plate of sashimi to kick things off...

 

 

 They have a set lunch/ dinner menus, so its not all ala arte...Not cheap but not exactly super expensive too. Averaging less than $30 per set meal depending on which set you order.

 

 

 

I had the Unaju set...$28 for lunch $32 for dinner.

 

 

 

The eel was premium grade, but even then, there are the soft bones so only order if you can get over that.  No issues for me as I've been having this for the longest time, so I'm more than used to it. The rice was of course, Japanese rice, which made for a good combination of sticky rice and sumptuous fish. Sometimes in other places where I've had this, the chef can over do the sauce and make it too sweet, spoiling the whole meal, but this dish was nicely done.

 

The set came with pickles, miso soup and watermelon. So it was really value for money.

 

 

 

 

My companion ordered the Niku(beef) Udon, we've had this many, many times, and it's always first class. Both the Unaju set and the Niku Udon are sort of our comfort foods...would definitely recommend them. So if you can't decide what to eat, this is a safe bet as well($20)

 

We had some ala carte sushi too...all of them were very fresh and really good. The sushi here can be really burn a hole in your pocket, but you've got to remember that you're paying for really good quality.

 

 

The unagi sushi wasn't for me...but according to my companions the unagi went really well with the sesame seeds. One of our favourites... ($5) 

 

 

We had otoro(tuna belly) sushi ($18/piece) and Uni(sea urchin) sushi($32/piece)...The uni was creamy and sweet with a hint of shellfish. You'd probably get something of a similar quality in Tokyo's tsukiji market. But at $32 its a little bit steep. The Otoro was just pure melt in your mouth goodness! The flesh and the fat of the tuna just blend together brilliantly. No wonder this fish recently sold at Tsukiji market for USD$2 million!

 

 

Ikura(salmon roe) sushi...Just look at the little pearls of tasty heaven. One of my favourite things about this sushi is that you can just roll the pearl with your tongue against the roof of your mouth and just pop them, letting the delicious liquid burst out.

 

Being in a Japanese restaurant, we made the customary order of tempura...

 

 

Good, but not fantastic...I really liked the mushroom and the onion though($18).

 

 

We ordered California handroll too...This I highly recommend! The seaweed, something which many restaurants fail to recognise the importance of, was very crisp and fresh. Call me a detail-freak but I really think you can tell the difference between good restaurants and excellent ones based on how they handle and store basic ingredients like the seaweed wrap, which is so fundamental to Japanese cuisine. It had roe and a slice of cucumber as well as crab, which all combined into one damn fine piece of sushi!($6)

 

 

The otoro was so good, we had to order the sashimi as well... ($106/serving) Expensive but well worth the money!

 

Finally we shared a kama shioyaki...which is grilled collar of the yellowtail ($30)

 

 

A picture truly speaks a thousand words...just look at that glorious piece of fish. Grilled with a little salt and squeeze a little lemon onto it. Honestly, all you need is a bowl of rice and you are good to go with this dish! Fresh, succulent and fatty fish...and its healthy too!

Conclusion :
 

Akashi is a really good restaurant to have lunch or dinner. Its pretty expensive but comparable to most top of the line Japanese restaurants. However, if you stick to the set meals then you shouldn't spend more than $50/pax, which for a good restaurant in central Singapore, is really reasonable and wallet-friendly.

 

Most importantly for me, Akashi is of a consistently high standard. In some restaurants, the taste varies with the change in chefs, but at Akashi you know exactly what you're getting.

 

 

House @ Dempsey, Singapore

On a slow Thursday night, my buddies and I decided to head out and check out one of the restaurants we've always wanted to visit...House @ Dempsey.

 

Here's the official website... http://www.dempseyhouse.com/

 

And here's the address : 8D Dempsey Road S249672 (Tel: 64757787)

 

Since opening in 2007, we've heard some decent reviews of the place and were quite excited to see if the place was up to scratch. Honestly with Dempsey being so upper class and with so many decent restaurants and cafes dotting the area, we were upbeat about our chances.

The café is located behind the main block of restaurants, quietly tucked away in a nice corner. You need to descend down a flight of stairs to enter, but it's a nice, short and comfortable stroll. The places is quite chilled out, with water features and greenery surrounding the place, so it certainly has the right sort of ambience to pull of the Dempsey look and feel.

Upon arrival, the very efficient staff tended to us immediately and saw us to a good seat at a corner where we could have some nice quiet conversation. That's not to say the place was noisy or rowdy or anything of that sort. Being Thursday, I guess it wasn't too busy.

 

 

 I think in the day light, with the sunshine streaming in through the glass windows and slide doors, the place would look quite pretty. Nice interior design, simple yet classy, a really nice place for brunch, based on the ambience alone.

 The menu was quite unique, taking the form of a newspaper. Prices were Dempsey-like, not exactly cheap but reasonable considering that we're in town.

So first order of the day, was to try the much raved about truffle fries...

 

 Truffle fries are fries fried in truffle oil and doused with truffle salt and sometimes topped with some cheese shavings or sprinkles. What makes it so special is the aroma of the truffles imparted to the fried potatoes. The strong mushroomy-taste of the truffles certainly gives the fries an extra kick. You know McDonald's seaweed shaker fries? In essence, this is the mushroom version.

The fries were crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and the smell emitted by the truffles was just exceptional. I can see why some people really rate the truffle fries here. Priced at only $11, I highly recommend House's interpretation of truffle fries. Just jolly good potatoes and truffle oil, sans cheese and all.

At the recommendation of the waiter, we ordered 3 mains to share...first up, the wagyu rump and chips($34)

Served with a sauce of yogurt and horse radish as well as a side of salad and fried chips, at first glace, the dish failed on one Singaporean aspect...size. The wagyu rump, though it looked really good, was a little bit on the short side. I can understand why sometimes, really good marbled beef is served in smaller portions - if you have too much, the oil really gets to you. So, I was thinking that was possibly the reason.

Upon cutting into it and trying the beef, I felt it was so-so. Nothing to shout about. Yeah sure, the beef was definitely better than what you can get at say, Astons or somewhere similar, but it definitely wasn't amongst the best I've ever had. For the price, I'd much rather go elsewhere.

Next up...Roasted Chilean Cod Fish
($29)

 

 

Roasted with turmeric, toped with an apple and celery salad and finally served with a sweet date sauce. aesthetically, this dish was pleasing. Again though, the portion was small. The cod was exactly what you would expect for the price you're paying, good quality fish. The sauce on the other hand, didn't quite do it for me.

When you have good quality ingredients, you really don't want to spoil the dish by over improvising or "over cooking" the dish. The star should be the fish, not the accompanying sauce. In this case, there simply was too much going on in one dish. I could taste dates, apples, celery and other condiments. The cod fish though, got crowded out by all the spices which were supposed to alleviate the dish. Not smother it.

Another thumbs down.

After the disappointments of the last 2 dishes, maybe the lamb rump with spiced cous cous($34) could salvage the dinner?

Served with Merguez Sausage and cous cous, at first glance though, the rump looked really dry and bereft of any natural juices at all. Merguez is a sausage made from either lamb or beef or a mixture of both and stuffed into lamb-intestine casing. It is then spiced with chillies as well as other spices. Cous cous on the other hand, is derived from Northern African cusine. Its a bit like rice, or bryani, but its of a smaller grain, and it's usually served with stews.

The sausage was ok, I mean unless you are a sausage connoisseur which I'm not, other than it being saltier and packed with more spices, you're not going to be able to discern much difference between this one and another one of the same make. Cous cous wasn't spectacular, but then again, I've yet to taste bryani that's really out of this world. Usually its the condiment that accompanies the Bryani that has to be good to bring out the taste of the bryani.

The lamb was in all honesty, terrible. It was dry, more like chicken breast than lamb rump. I can't believe that the chef actually thinks this is ok to serve the customer. It was execution of the dish was ludicrously poor. One of the worst $34 I have ever spent in my life, and that includes the parking fines I have paid to the government!

Conclusion :

I fervently hope that today's meal(other than the truffle fries) was because the chef was having an off day rather than the norm, because it just wasn't up to scratch. Will I come back again? Perhaps for a coffee and some brunch, just to soak in the weekend atmosphere. Definitely not for a full service meal though.

The food just doesn't quite cut it.

Kazu Sumi-yaki @ Cuppage Plaza, Singapore

Recently , at the recommendation of my Japanese expatriate friend who, I went to Kazu Sumiyaki Restaurant at Cuppage plaza. He told me its the only place in Singapore that he actually has yakitori. I must admit, I was sceptical. I mean, who goes to Cuppage plaza? In all my 25 years, I think I've stepped into Cuppage all but once. Honestly, from the outside, it doesn't look all that appealing. But he assured me that the food was good. Really, really, Tokyo-standard good.

 

So heres the address : 5 Koek Road, #04-05 Cuppage Plaza (Tel : 67342492)

 

 

So basically, when you enter Cuppage Plaza, for those of you who don't know, it's not the "cleanest" of places. There are plenty of Japanese karaoke bars, and the hostesses stand outside these bars, but really, nothing which should cause you any bother. From what my friend told me, Cuppage Plaza is frequented by Japanese expats which explains the high number of Japanese eateries and pubs. 

 

Anyway Kazu Sumiyaki is located on the 4th floor and it looks very unassuming(picture above). I went there for dinner, and though outside the restaurant the building was quite empty save for a few hostesses and Japanese expats, the restaurant was a hive of activity. It was full and there was a short queue outside the establishment. Thankfully, I didn't have to queue because I made reservations at the advice of my friend.

 

When we were sat down, the waitresses brought us a little starter while we decided what to order.

 

 

This is a very simple dish which many Izakayas(restaurants where Japanese people go to for drinks and light food after work in Japan) serve in Japan. Its basically raw cabbage and some dipping miso sauce. Simple, healthy(not exactly sure if Miso is healthy!) yet tasty. I'm sorry the bowl was initially filled to the brim with cabbage, but I only thought to take a picture after we were halfway through.

 

So first up, we had the grilled pork belly..

 

 

It was really well grilled and seasoned. Meat was nice, but you can't really go wrong with pork belly can you? It was $2/stick so pretty reasonable.

 

Next up was the grilled spring onions...

 

 

I really recommend this one. The outside was well charred and crisp, whilst the inside was warm, soft and sweet. And honestly, with yakitori, you're probably gonna have a little too much meat, so having some greens to go along wouldn't hurt. $2/stick.

 

 

I ordered garic rice to add a little bulk to the meal and it was alright...not brilliant but also pretty good. If you like your fried rice with that burnt taste, then you should definitely order this dish. $6/serving.

 

 

I felt like having some salmon sashimi too, so we ordered 8 pieces which came up to $36. Not exactly cheap. It was alright, but I don't think I would order that again.

 

We then had the grilled asparagus which was good also. Its not brilliant, but having said that, I'm not really a big fan of asparagus. But it's certainly one of the better ones I've had before. ($5/stick)

 

 

We also had yagen, which was chicken cartilage($3.80/stick), seasoned and salted and then grilled...

 

 

So far, all really good food to go with beer. In fact, most of the patrons ordered beer to go with their food. Or maybe they ordered yakitori to go with their beer.

 

Anyway, we also had chicken liver($1.80/stick), which wasn't my favourite, so I think I'll give that a pass in the future...

 

 

We also had shishamo, which I think all of us agree is a must have whenever you have Japanese food! The shishamo was full of roe, once you bit into it all the eggs oozed out of them. I thought it was great but my companion felt that it was a little bit too well grilled, and the burnt taste was a touch too strong. ($3/shishamo)

 

 

 

The next few dishes were really nice, and I would recommend that you order ALL of them if you come here! Starting with the chicken heart($2/stick), chicken gizzard($1.80) and my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE...gyu tongue, which is cow's tongue! At $10/stick its an absolute steal and die, die, must try!

 

 

From left to right... Cow tongue, cow tongue, chicken heart and chicken gizzard.

 

Then to mix up the tastes and textures a little bit, at the recommendation of the waitress, we had Tontoro Ringo(Pork belly with Apple, $4/stick).

 

 

Again, the pork belly was fantastic. The apple was so sweet, the pork so succulent with the right amount(not too fatty, which sometimes pork belly can be) of fat that this concoction....simply heaven. The Tontoro Ringo along with the Gyu Tongue had to be my top 2 dishes for the night.

 

We also had mushroom wrapped with pork, again another dish which can hardly go wrong, especially when the pork is of such high quality($3.50/stick)...

 

 

And another dish which everyone should try...Foie Gras. Foie Gras is basically fatty goose liver. Shan't go into details of how the liver got that fat, but its really good. Essentially, good foie gras tastes something like really soft and silky tofu with more than a hint of goose. In a good way. I wouldn't recommend having more than 1 stick per person though, because foie gras is something which can be too much of a good thing.

 

 

 

At $6.50/stick, its an absolute steal. Another winner, and one which everyone who comes here simply has to try.

 

 

The chicken skin is another must try...well grilled and seasoned, it isn't as oily as some I've had in the past. ($2.50/stick)

 

The last dish on my list of Must Haves...is something called Anago. This dish is a little bit pricy, but I always believe you get what you pay for. Anago is basically salt water eel. They do it tempura style, unlike the teriyaki sauce Unagi which we usually have.

 

 

The eel was really clean tasting, slightly fatty and almost didn't taste like fish at all. It was really, really good. But at $35 a pop, I think its an optional choice, but if you aren't working on a budget, by all means, go ahead and order it.

 

Now for those with an adventurous spirit, we also ordered fish liver which was slightly simmered. Recommended by the waitress(who I have to say really gave us first rate service and attention), Ankimo is quite a popular dish with the Japanese clientele of the restaurant.

 

 

Didn't have much going on taste wise if you have it without the radish and the sauce, but personally, I think its the texture that gets to people. Let's just say its something of an acquired taste($15/serving).

 

Finally, we had the chicken liver sashimi...

 

 

Hand on heart, I really enjoyed this one. Chicken liver when uncooked, tastes lighter and less iron-y than the grilled one. When eaten alone, it doesn't have much taste, but we were given ginger and a dipping sauce to coat it with. The texture of the liver was soft and a little bit like tofu. If  you can get past the idea that you are eating raw liver, I would definitely recommend this dish to those who are willing to try, though I would think, a single order would be more than sufficient for 3 persons. ($10/serving)

 

Finally, we ended off our meal with Japanese Sweet Potato. When we first arrived at the restaurant, the first question the waitress asked us was if we would like some sweet potato. She said it would take about an hour to grill. A WHOLE HOUR!

 

So we ordered 2 and boy did we regret...not ordering more! It was fantastic! Really hands down, one of the best sweet potato I have ever had in my life! And that's saying a lot because I'm not the biggest fan of sweet potatoes.

 

 

The combination of sweet potato and butter, sweet and salty was brilliant. By the way, the crunchy and slightly crispy skin of the potato can be eaten as well. A little bit expensive at $10/potato, but well worth the money.

 

Conclusion :

 

In summary, Kazu Sumi-yaki is one of the best, if not the best, yakitori restaurant I've had so far in Singapore. The food is reasonably priced, and you probably wont rack up a bill as long as mine as long as you don't over order(there is a tendency and more likely, a temptation to do so!). The ambience, food and level of service really brings me back to the times I had in Japan.

 

Kazu Sumi-yaki, one of the best!